Jaunpur imarti
AI-drafted · awaiting admin review
Flower-shaped coils of urad dal batter fried in ghee and soaked in sugar syrup; Jaunpur's best-known sweet.
Region: Jaunpur and eastern Uttar PradeshOccasion: Festivals and family celebrationsTime: 1 hour + 4 hours soakingServes: About 15 piecesVegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole skinned urad dal, soaked 4 hours
- 1 tbsp rice flour or arrowroot
- A pinch of orange food colour or saffron
- 2 cups sugar and 1 cup water for syrup, ½ tsp cardamom powder
- Ghee for frying
- A piping cloth or squeeze bottle with a small hole
Method
- Grind the dal with very little water into a smooth, thick, fluffy batter. Beat it by hand for 5 minutes and mix in the rice flour and colour.
- Make a sugar syrup of one-string consistency with cardamom and keep it warm.
- Heat ghee in a flat pan to medium. Pipe the batter into a small ring, then loop a series of small coils around it to make a flower.
- Fry, turning once, until crisp but not brown.
- Soak in the warm syrup for 2–3 minutes and lift out.
History
Imarti is related to jalebi but is made from urad dal. Jaunpur's version, fried in desi ghee, has been famous for generations.
Significance
Imarti is a festive sweet across UP, and Jaunpur imarti is a popular gift from the town.